Technology news

• Review: UPDATED: Asus Zenfone 2

  02-07-2015 22:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction, design and displayThe Asus Zenfone 2 fills an interesting niche as an Android phone full of deep customizations, yet one that sells for half the price of similarly sized phablets.Typically, Android tinkerers who want to invest a lot of time into customizing their phone also have to pay full price for a flagship. But the Zenfone 2 turns that concept on its meditating head.At $300 (about £210, AU$408) unlocked and now available in the US, it's a bargain for a 5.5-inch display that's
  
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• #WhiteHouseTour photos flood social media as 40-year ban is lifted

  02-07-2015 20:06
  
  Taking photos during public tours of the ‘People’s House’ is now allowed, a sign the Obamas believe the White House should be more open and accessibleThe lifting of the 40-year-old ban on taking photos during public tours of the White House on Wednesday led to a stream of filtered shots of the president’s mansion making their way to social media.Using #WhiteHouseTour - a hashtag promoted by the White House - visitors documented the inside of the “People’s House” for the first time
  
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• Dylann Roof's sister tries to raise funds online to reschedule her wedding

  02-07-2015 20:02
  
  GoFundMe page, which has since been removed, had asked for $5,000 in contributions after Charleston church shooting forced cancellationThe sister of the man suspected of killing nine people at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina, briefly launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover the lost costs of her wedding, which was canceled in the wake of the mass shooting.A GoFundMe page, which the company confirmed was created by Amber Roof, asks donors to help her and her fiance, Mic
  
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• Dylann Roof's sister raises money for wedding cancelled after shooting

  02-07-2015 20:02
  
  GoFundMe page, which has since been removed, sought to raise money to reschedule wedding after cancellation in wake of Charleston church shootingThe sister of the man suspected of killing nine people at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover the lost costs of her wedding, which was canceled in the wake of the mass shooting.A GoFundMe page, which appears to have been created by Amber Roof, asks donors to help her and her fia
  
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• Review: Alienware 13

  02-07-2015 19:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designIt can't be debated that Alienware pioneered the gaming laptop scene. But fast forwarding 13 years finds the company up against tons of competition, all chomping at the bit to make the most souped-up machines that gamers will love.What's Alienware's retort to the recent, excellent efforts from the likes of the Aorus X5, Razer Blade and HP Omen? Naturally, laptops that feature killer specs, like the latest Alienware 17. But the company also (hopes it) has an ace up its slee
  
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• Rise in nuisance call complaints

  02-07-2015 19:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK's Information Commissioner's Office receives a record number of complaints about nuisance calls.
  
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• Amnesty demands GCHQ spying inquiry

  02-07-2015 19:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Campaign group Amnesty International calls for an independent inquiry after it is confirmed it was spied on by British surveillance agency GCHQ.
  
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• Google frees 'electric sheep' to run wild across internet with glorious results

  02-07-2015 16:27
  
  Tech firm opens up its image processing neural-network algorithm and people create awesome images Google has made its “inceptionism” algorithm available to all, allowing coders around the world to replicate the process the company used to create mesmerising dreamscapes with its image processing neural-network.The system, which works by repeatedly feeding an image through an AI which enhances features it recognises, was first demonstrated by Google two weeks ago. It can alter an existing imag
  
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• Trump hotels examine card breach claim

  02-07-2015 16:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The businessman's hotel chain is investigating reports that it was the object of a long-running credit card security breach.
  
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• Review: HP DeskJet 1010

  02-07-2015 16:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Introduction and designDon't let the low price fool you. The HP DeskJet 1010 delivers great quality for printing photos and documents, but doesn't come with the frills of scanner or fax capabilities. HP went with a simpler is better approach to the DeskJet 1010 printer – a uni-function printer solely focused on producing great prints in an affordably priced package. Few companies still make single-function home inkjet printers, and it's nice to see that HP hasn't given up on this segment of th
  
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• Facebook to pay video clip creators

  02-07-2015 15:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook is to start sharing revenue from advertising with video creators.
  
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• Ubuntu Intel Compute Stick arrives but specs lag behind Windows

  02-07-2015 15:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The Ubuntu version of the Intel Compute Stick will be released next week but comes with significantly less memory and storage than the Windows version.
  
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• Lego Jurassic World review – enjoyable if predictable family fun

  02-07-2015 13:58
  
  The Lego gaming series continues with another blockbuster licence and another child-friendly puzzle adventureEvery year the global strategy consultancy Brand Finance releases a list of the world’s most powerful brands. In 2014, Ferrari topped the chart, but this February, the Italian super car manufacturer was usurped by a toy. It was, of course, Lego. This classic product, conceived over 60 years ago, has proved infinitely extendible in the modern era. The Lego Movie, a film based on the toy,
  
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• Would you trust your Uber driver to give you first aid?

  02-07-2015 13:47
  
  Tech companies are looking to provide your healthcare, from an app to help with insomnia to a taxi service for kidney patientsOne of the winning ideas at this year’s Future Lions student ad contest in Cannes suggested that Uber may be your best bet for first-response medical care in the future.
  The team from the Fondazione Accademia di Comunicazione in Milan wrote: “In large cities the average response time for emergency services is more than seven minutes, which can be the difference betwee
  
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• Welcome to Jun, the town that ditched bureaucracy to run on Twitter

  02-07-2015 13:46
  
  Residents of the Spanish town use Twitter for everything from reporting crimes to booking doctor’s appointments. Is this the future of local government?“The only things that the United States has given to the world are skyscrapers, jazz, and cocktails,” once wrote Federico García Lorca. “And in Cuba, in our America, they make much better cocktails.” The residents of Lorca’s hometown of Granada may now dare to add Twitter to that list. The California-based social network has be
  
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• Silk Road investigator pleads guilty

  02-07-2015 13:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A former undercover agent involved in the investigation into Silk Road admits stealing more than $700,000 in Bitcoin - most of it siphoned from the site.
  
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• Dixons Carphone in deal with Sprint

  02-07-2015 13:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dixons Carphone has signed a deal with US telecoms firm Sprint that will see it open and manage Sprint-branded stores in the US.
  
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• Only half of young people's viewing is traditional scheduled TV

  02-07-2015 13:13
  
  Ofcom finds younger people are turning to BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Netflix, and using Facebook, Google and Twitter for news
  Young people are shunning live TV and watching their favourite shows online, Ofcom revealed yesterday.The broadcasting regulator said just half of all viewing among 16- to 24-year-olds is now through traditional scheduled TV. Continue reading...
  
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• Robots on the march

  02-07-2015 12:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A range of robots are on display at the Innorobo event in France, including the most advanced domestic robot to go on sale to the public.
  
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• VIDEO: Meeting Pepper, the domestic robot

  02-07-2015 12:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rory Cellan-Jones meets Pepper, the domestic robot, at the Innorobo event in Lyon, France.
  
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• What links a reporter and the robot apocalypse?

  02-07-2015 12:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A journalist started a Twitter storm when she reported an industrial accident in Germany - but the huge interest wasn't about the story, rather an inadvertent reference to a sci-fi classic.
  
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• Amazon set to pay self-published authors as little as $0.006 per page read

  02-07-2015 11:48
  
  Writers of shorter works could lose out on revenue as company’s Kindle Owners Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited no longer pay per copy downloaded
  Self-published authors could be paid as little as $0.006 per page read under new rules planned by Amazon.Writers who make their works available through Amazon’s Kindle Owners Lending Library, and a similar service called Kindle Unlimited, will no longer be paid per copy downloaded following a move announced last week. Continue reading...
  
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• VIDEO: The robots that could change our lives

  02-07-2015 11:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From machines that can help around the house, to ones that could be used as sales assistants, robots can change the way we live our lives.
  
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• Microsoft launches site for teachers taking Minecraft into the classroom

  02-07-2015 10:31
  
  Minecraft in Education portal aims to get educators sharing tips on how Mojang’s popular game can be used to teach childrenMillions of children are already playing Minecraft at home, whether on computers, consoles or mobile devices. Now the game’s parent company Microsoft wants to encourage more teachers to use it in the classroom.Microsoft, which bought the game’s developer Mojang for $2.5bn in 2014, has launched a new site aimed at teachers, aiming to foster a community of educators swap
  
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• VIDEO: US medical marijuana goes high tech

  02-07-2015 10:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A range of cannabis related apps have sprung up as some US states change their stance on the drug
  
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• Snapchat debuts tap-to-view controls promising 'no more tired thumbs'

  02-07-2015 09:39
  
  Social app’s latest update is designed to make long videos less annoying, but it’s also adding two-factor authentication to protect usersSocial app Snapchat hopes its 100 million daily active users will give the thumbs up... to spending less time holding their thumbs on their smartphone screens to see photos and videos.The company’s latest app update introduces a new “tap to view” control, which replaces the “press and hold” user interface that’s been used since Snapchat’s laun
  
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• Facebook steps up competition with YouTube with ad-supported videos

  02-07-2015 09:20
  
  Social network already has 4bn views a day of its native clips, but helping their creators to make money is its next ambitionVideos uploaded directly to Facebook are watched more than 4bn times a day according to the social network. Now it wants their uploaders to be able to make money from those videos.The social network is testing a new “suggested videos” feature in its news feed, which will see videos from partner publishers and creators recommended to Facebook users, with advertisements
  
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• HP Inc and HP Enterprise split moves forward

  02-07-2015 09:04 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The plan to split PC maker Hewlett-Packard into two separate entities has finally been laid out, with HP Inc and HP Enterprise to be operating autonomously by the end of this year.
  
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• Man crushed to death by robot

  02-07-2015 08:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 22-year-old worker is grabbed and killed by a robot at a VW car factory in Germany.
  
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• How to make Windows easier to use for people with poor vision

  02-07-2015 08:00
  
  George struggles with fonts on small laptops and so wants a portable with a big screen. But he can make Windows texts easier to read on a machine of any size …I work for a university and do quite a lot of travelling. I need reading glasses for small fonts, and consequently struggle with small laptop screens. I would like a large-screen laptop and wonder if you could recommend one. My priorities are a large good-quality screen and portability. GeorgeYou are correct in thinking that if you displ
  
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• How information grows – Tech Weekly podcast

  02-07-2015 08:00
  
  MIT's anti-disciplinarian maverick Cesar Hidalgo argues for a new way of looking at data which could fundamentally change how we understand the worldThis week we dedicate the show to MIT professor Cesar Hidalgo, whose new book How Information Grows: The Evolution of Order from Atoms to Economies offers a radical new way of thinking about data. Can new ways of computing information change the world?Data journalist James Ball asks what this means in practical terms and they race through everything
  
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• ​Telstra Health brings 24-hour medical care with ReadyCare

  02-07-2015 07:42 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Australian doctors are now a phone or video call away with the launch of Telstra Health's ReadyCare telemedicine service.
  
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• Xiaomi shifts 34.7 million units in first half

  02-07-2015 07:03 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  In a market that is said to be shrinking, Xiaomi has increased its smartphone shipments by 33 percent year on year.
  
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• MasterCard to trial using selfies as authentication

  02-07-2015 05:48 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Looking at your phone may become the new way to pay, as MasterCard begins experimenting with biometric technology to allow users to pay with a touch of a finger or a by taking a selfie upon checkout.
  
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• Silk Road: undercover DEA agent turned bitcoin thief pleads guilty

  02-07-2015 04:17
  
  Carl M Force, part of federal taskforce that penetrated illicit online marketplace, ended up siphoning off more than $700,000 in digital currency for himselfA former undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration has pleaded guilty on charges of stealing more than $700,000 in digital currency – most of it from an online drug bazaar known as Silk Road that he infiltrated as part of a federal investigation.Carl M Force, dressed in the orange garb of the San Francisco jail and shackle
  
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• IT system for GP records criticised

  02-07-2015 03:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new GP IT system designed to improve quality and planning in the NHS in England is criticised for running over budget and behind schedule, by a finance watchdog.
  
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• Robot kills worker at Volkswagen plant in Germany

  02-07-2015 03:48
  
  Contractor was setting up the stationary robot when it grabbed and crushed him against a metal plate at the plant in BaunatalA robot has killed a contractor at one of Volkswagen’s production plants in Germany, the automaker has said.The man died on Monday at the plant in Baunatal, about 100km (62 miles) north of Frankfurt, VW spokesman Heiko Hillwig said. Continue reading...
  
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• UK expert tapped as CEO for Turnbull's DTO

  02-07-2015 02:26 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Just months after moving to the UK government's digital service, Paul Shetler has been snapped up as the inaugural CEO of the Australian government's digital transformation office.
  
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• Abbott and Hockey electorates named in FttN phase of NBN rollout

  02-07-2015 01:40 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  The suburb of North Manly in the prime minister's electorate of Warringah is among the next included in the rollout of the National Broadband Network.
  
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• VIDEO: Things to make with 3D printer waste

  02-07-2015 01:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A pair of young designers explain how they have developed a technique to make furniture from the waste product of 3D printing.
  
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